Chapter 16
Kotetsu wasn't nearly as excited as she had been on the first train, her chin resting on her folded arms as her eyes glanced now and then at the pretty coloured blurs passing by. Cloud had chosen to sit next to her this time, his fingers buried deep in her long hair, playing with it absent mindedly.
"Scared?" Cloud shook his head in reply to the girl's quiet question.
"Just concerned. You?" Kotetsu didn't answer as she decided to distract herself with the scenery again. "Kotetsu. I..." Cloud sighed as he slid down in his seat, clearly frustrated. "I won't let anything happen to you, so long as I live."
"I don't want you dead." Cloud laughed quietly, the girl's matter of factness amusing him somewhat.
"I don't want to be dead either." The two sat in silence for a while, both unsure of how to talk about the issue at hand.
Cloud felt his eyebrows knit in annoyance, disappointed that he hadn't seen this coming. Of course Rufus was going to find out about the whole Tifa/Reno situation, especially if they were going to get married.
What were the pair of them thinking?
And of course Kotetsu and he were going to be faced with Sebastian and his group of biological weapons at some point in the future, and he'd been a fool to wish and hope for anything different. A waste of wishes and hopes really...
And of course Rufus was going to use Sebastian and his many assets to acquire what he wanted, even if it meant killing off his own agents... more so when he had probably figured out that they weren't really all that faithful anyway.
"Cloud?" Cloud was brought back to reality by Kotetsu's small voice, her eyes seeming to plead for him to make this alright. To save her from the fate she had probably foreseen for herself.
Kotetsu had known things were going to go to shit, but now? Like this? She realised then that every time any danger happened, she was probably going to think, 'now? But it's been such a short time of freedom, with Cloud', so this time wasn't really any different from any other.
She couldn't leave Cloud now, but she couldn't let him die saving her either. Life could be so cruel.
Kotetsu couldn't stop all of her fears from slipping away when she felt Cloud's soft lips touch hers, his kiss was so gentle, his hand lightly caressing her cheek. Kotetsu felt her insides melt as Cloud touched her so softly, his arms now circling round her, the tight but safe embrace making her shake with anticipation. She couldn't leave him. She couldn't be without him. His tenderness, his loving and caring nature, his honest and trustworthy self was just far too much to give up without a fight.
And god would she fight.
Kotetsu felt her body moving on its own as it manoeuvred herself, kicking her leg over Cloud and straddling him perfectly. Her lips quickly returned to his, the feverish kiss clumsy but desperate. Cloud pulled Kotetsu into him, her body flush against his and he ravaged her, his speed and irregular rhythm almost too much for Kotetsu to follow.
Almost.
And all too soon, the pair felt the train slow to a screeching halt, Midgar station staring at them through the dusty windows.
Kotetsu sighed against Cloud's lips before he lifted her to her feet and took her hand, leading her off of the train and onto the dirty platform. Cloud ignored the people now boarding the train, three of them in total, in his haste.
Kotetsu kept in stride with the determined blonde, desperate for him to say something.
Anything.
But Cloud remained silent until he sat in place on his bike.
"You will need to direct me." Kotetsu wasn't really expecting his coldness, his emotionless tone and standoffish behaviour not really what she was needing right now. She just nodded as she joined the blonde, her fingers tangling into his tank top rather than their usual position around his waist. Cloud didn't seem to be making any notion of moving, his still body almost statuesque. She felt his breath slow and could feel the tension of the moment as she stared off into the distance, the old sector seven almost visible on the horizon. She felt Cloud's top tighten and pull a little in her fingers as he took in a deep breath, pausing as if her were about to speak.
But only silence met her ears as it reverberated against her heart strings, pulling at them painfully as she waited for the blonde to say anything.
Still, nothing.
Cloud kick started his bike and slowly took the pair of them back to the main road where Kotetsu called to him to go right.
...
It wasn't long before Kotetsu could see the old run down building that had been her 'home' for so many years. Cloud had no idea how close they actually were, but the tightening of the girl's hold on him told him they were near enough.
"This next left." Cloud saw the girl's pointing finger in his peripheral, and took the next left as instructed. "Second right." Cloud nodded as he passed the first right, the girl's grip almost pulling his top from his chest. Cloud then took the next right, feeling Kotetsu's head press against his back, hard. He could feel her body shivering slightly, her obvious distress making him scowl in annoyance. If Reno wasn't dead already, then he might be forced to kill him himself for being so stupid and getting caught. Cloud turned to try and look at the girl, but she was now pressed so hard against him that he wasn't really sure if they were two separate entities anymore. He then decided to just look ahead, his first plan of keep his distance from her seeming like the best. He had to disconnect. Had to get the job done without worrying about her feelings. Guilt welled up inside as he planned his next few moves, knowing that the girl would probably never forgive him.
...
Cloud stopped the bike as he approached an old building, its windows all smashed and walls covered in graffiti. He admired the art work of some of the designs for only a few seconds before he returned to the task at hand. He slid off the bike while somehow managing to remove the now quivering girl, her legs almost incapable of holding her up.
Kotetsu stared at the building in front of her, unsure where all this uncontrolled emotion was coming from. Was it the fear of being captured again, returning to her meaningless life of fighting, sex and torture? Or was it the thought of losing Cloud, him dying while trying to save the life of someone he didn't really care for.
Although she knew deep down inside he did.
Or was it the feeling of inescapability, that no matter how far she ran, or how strong her protector, she would always end up here, in the balance of life, a constant torture in itself as her emotions would run amuck, sending her back and forwards, to and from despair like a pendulum. A never stationary pendulum. Kotetsu felt the urge to throw up, but managed to contain her stomach contents as she watched Cloud battle with himself.
She found it oddly fascinating how Cloud's eyes told more than he ever could, his raw thoughts and feelings flooding out of them like an unstoppable waterfall, his looks of frustration and guilt a common accompaniment. But this time, it made Kotetsu feel uneasy. He kept avoiding her gaze as he fumbled with his sword harness on his back, taking his time as he gathered up the many pieces of his weapon.
"Cloud?" Cloud flinched at the sound of his name, and put down the fragment of expertly engineered metal in his hand. He remained still as he continued to think, and Kotetsu was beginning to feel colder than ever.
"Woossa Narii." Cloud's pained expression was nothing like the pain that stung at Kotetsu's heart as she felt her mind shut down, his apology the last thing to comfort her before darkness came.
But she understood.
Cloud kicked his bike in rage, annoyed that he had done the one thing he had promised to never do. To say those god awful words if he wasn't in danger of her killing him. He felt a new low overtake him as he continued to pack his supplies, his mind whirring.
He'd love to have been able to trust Kotetsu's new found strength at conquering the command words, but as he had just proved, when unexpected, she was still at their mercy. He couldn't face her again, couldn't fight her the way he would need to to get through this alive. He had to keep her safe as well as himself.
Cloud then looked around himself for a good place to hide her slumbering self, annoyed that this building was so out of the way. He then clocked another dilapidated building not too far off, it's crumbling walls and fallen roof seemingly a good place to hide not only the girl, but his bike too.
So Cloud hoisted the girl's still scarily light body onto the back of his bike, her light snoring and random whimpers haunting him somewhat.
It didn't take him long to push the bike to the building, a perfect recess seemingly made for this moment on the west corner. He pushed the bike backwards into the tight hole, Kotetsu's body well hidden from any patrols or prying eyes. Cloud kissed her softly on the cheeks before squeezing his way back out, his massive swords causing him a bit of difficultly, but he made it out.
A cold wind began to pick up, an excellent mood setter as Cloud made his way back to the opening of this hell. He watched carefully for any scouts, but found the place to be very quiet indeed. Of course, Sebastian knew he would come, so it was just a matter of waiting, but surely he would have sent out some obstacles to make things hard?
Cloud reached the doorway of the old building and entered, frustration filling him as he was faced with nothing but crumbling walls. He ignored the urge to scratch his head as he walked confidently into the middle of the room, his eyes scanning at all times.
Nothing unusual.
Apart from the lack of furniture or carpets or wall paper or, well, anything except from the bare and eroding structure... but no flickering shadows or unexplained noises met him as he continued to stand, analysing his next best move.
Cloud continued to the back of the first room and ventured into a corridor on the left, the smashed hanging frames containing only burnt remains of what were once pictures the only sign of there ever being life so far. The floor beneath him creaked, annoyingly announcing his arrival, but then again, he just wished they would show themselves so he could get started already. He then reached another room, this one a lot more metal than the other. The shine was almost blinding in comparison to the dark hallway, a single swinging light dancing shadows in all directions, an eerie sense of hidden company almost suffocating him.
Creepy.
Cloud waited for a few moments, the silence deafening as he remained as still as possible. They must know that he was here. He hadn't exactly been quiet. Cloud decided to make his way further into the room, the detail on the metallic walls now showing itself better. Cloud felt his body go ice cold with dread as he saw high velocity blood spatters due to blunt force trauma covering almost every section, the odd hand print and scratch mark separating it all. He could also now smell the stench of blood and death that hit him, the ripeness making his sinuses burn and his skin crawl.
Nothing good had happened in this room.
Cloud continued on through the room, slipping a bit on a pool of blood at the far end, his foot bumping into something. Cloud could feel his apprehension grow as the light from the small bulb didn't reach the corners of the room, hiding whatever he had accidentally kicked from his vision. Cloud debated with himself whether to check it out or not, his want to just continue on and forget out weighing his want to know what was there. But his moralistic ways had him travelling back to the middle of the room, and reach up for the swinging bulb. It flickered at his touch, as if it too were afraid to find out what was there.
Cloud directed the light into the corner and felt bile burn the back of his throat as he stared in horror at the scene. He immediately let go of the light as the haunting image of a seemingly dissected little boy imprinted itself into his memory, forever there to remind him of the cruelty of man. Cloud felt a cold shiver run up his spine as he remembered the boy's wide, shining and painfully empty eyes, the pools of blood that had only just begun to coagulated on the floor, but most of all, the agonised and terrified expression that was still etched on the little boy's face, something Cloud wasn't sure he'd ever get over. Cloud shut his eyes tight as he tried his best to stop his thoughts as they went mad, trying to decipher the boy's age. He didn't want to know.
Cloud swallowed hard as he psyched himself for walking past the poor little corpse, making a note to cremate the body when he got out of this.
If he got out of this.
Cloud shook his head of negative thoughts and briskly walked through the doorway, that was left ajar, and into the next room.
Cloud was now pretty sure that this was all left for him to see.
The next room was brightly lit, this time with long filament tubes that were fixed to the ceiling. The light was almost blinding as Cloud raised his arm to see the rest of the room and allow his eyes time to react to another sudden change in light.
The room came to him in pieces, the blood being the first to focus, and then the bloodied strange tools that Cloud was pretty sure had been used as torture implements. There were fork like hand rakes, hack saws, crow bars, swords of various shapes and sizes, hammers, meat cleavers and other knives, and daggers... everything from a common house tool to a highly engineered cutting or tearing weapon. Cloud had to cover his mouth and nose this time, the stench of human remains a little too overpowering. His hatred for this Sebastian was growing by the second, and Cloud was already sure he couldn't have hated him anymore than he did. Cloud found himself slipping on the shiny but still wet surface, hoping that none of this was done purely for his arrival.
This Sebastian really knew how to fuck someone up.
Cloud desperately tried to ignore the figures in the corners of the room, their bright and empty eyes hauntingly close.
Cloud made it to the door on the far side of the room, a deep depression hitting him when he felt his boots sticking to the floor, the blood on them now clotting and drying.
Cloud pushed the wet door open, groaning when he realised that it was yet more blood. He rubbed his hands desperately on his thighs, trying to remove it as quickly as possible, noting that he was now on a deep and spiralling staircase. With no lights. He sighed softly as he felt his limitations reach him, unsure if he could deal with another dead child.
But he knew he had to keep going, knew he had to get Reno out, and end Sebastian's life.
The staircase seemed to go on forever, but soon enough Cloud had reached the bottom, unharmed, where a fourth room met him. It seemed darker again, though the smell was still there. He could barely see the door on the other side of this massive room the lights dim and useless. He could see the length of the room almost, but struggled to see the width, the shit lights proving to be more annoying than Cloud had first anticipated. Now this looked like a place where things could get real messy. Cloud was becoming even more wary since he hadn't met a single obstacle since he had entered the building. No one seemed to want to stop him, which only meant he was walking into a trap.
Cloud began to make his way, slowly and cautiously, into the great hall like room, the sound of his own footsteps the only noise that seemed to echo up into the high ceilings.
Cloud jumped back suddenly as he heard a faint 'twang' coming from the left, an arrow now whizzing past him, just missing his chest. Cloud trained his eyes into the darkened parts of the room, but found it almost impossible to see. He couldn't make anything out, nor could he hear anything like footsteps, breathing or even reloading. Cloud then began to wonder if it was all auto set, as some kind of training ground for the kids.
And if that was the case, he would have to run.
Cloud reached behind him and pulled out the two of the thickest and longest sections of his sword. He then held the hilts just above head height, creating two metal shields, one on each side. Cloud then took a deep breath before dashing through the long room, the arrows soon turning to bullets as they ricocheted off of his makeshift defence, the force almost knocking him over as the bullets began to increase in power. They all came from his left, so he flipped his other sword over for a wider and stronger defence, two hands seeming to brace himself better than one.
And then came the armour piercing rounds.
Cloud felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and something cut his cheek, realisation that he was going to die if he didn't act fast hitting him hard.
He then put one sword on top of the other, doubling up his defences as he pushed his body faster, ducking and dodging as he slowed and sped up randomly, hopefully confusing the aiming systems of the guns.
And then came the explosive rounds.
Cloud felt the force of the explosion knock him off to the right, and off course from the door ahead. He wasn't too far away, but the constant bombardment of explosive power that hit him, pushing him further and further back, was making it much harder to get back into his run. Most of the explosive rounds were hitting the floor around him, but some struck his crisscrossed swords, his arms now burning from the intense heat. Cloud then felt himself hit a wall, his boots crunching down on the crumbly and brittle flooring. What was that? Cloud tried to look down, but was quickly distracted as another explosion had him being crushed against the wall.
This had to stop.
Cloud kicked off from the wall and somersaulted in the air, narrowly avoiding three more explosions. He had barely reached the ground when another just missed him, the force of it pushing him away from the wall and almost onto all fours, but Cloud kept himself upright as he practically ran on all fours, his sword hilts still in hand as he used his fists to right himself again, and back into his desperate run for the door.
And then came the incendiary rounds.
Cloud could almost taste freedom when he felt the force of the explosions stop, but was not amused when he felt the heat of burning solvents fall against his arm and leg. He could feel his clothes catching fire and felt almost doomed as another wave of fiery liquids engulfed him.
Cloud slammed himself against the door, which opened easily and fell into the fifth room, rolling about on the hard metallic floor as he tried to stifle the flames. He could feel the skin on his left side burning, the smell of his own burnt hair and flesh assaulting him. Cloud then wriggled out of his sword carrier and began to rip his woollen top from him, the flames seeming to be unstoppable. He felt the cool air hit his skin, an almost euphoric relief as he also pulled at his flaming trousers, the ends of the legs tearing from the top half easily as the material gave up against the fire. Cloud then began to pat and slap at his upper legs, the zip that kept them to him now red hot and untouchable.
Cloud sighed as he dropped to the ground, the remains of his trousers now extinguished of all flames and his skin sizzling against the cold floor. His breath came out in pants as he began to slow his heart rate, the sweat lashing off of him as he tried to calm himself. That was when he noticed that the light was flickering, and buzzing annoyingly as it strived to live. He couldn't help but feel a suspicion that the light was mocking him, or maybe set up as some kind of cruel joke.
He was clearly getting paranoid now, which was never good.
Cloud tried to clear his head as he sat up from the floor, hissing in pain as he felt his skin pull and shrink as blisters began to form on his left side. This was all he needed.
Cloud then looked back into the previous room, annoyed to find that the whole place was lit now, the launching equipment and many, many guns aligning the side of the room that had been to the left of him, and his heart sank as he realised the crunching floor had been layers of bones that he had been running across, the remains of not so lucky ones lying there as some sort of barrier against the wall that had been to the right of him.
Cloud cursed as he slammed his fist into the floor, annoyed that he was being played, and even more annoyed that he was so severely damaged before he had even found Sebastian.
This was no good.
Cloud then got to his feet, fear beginning to set in as he readied himself for whatever was next. This room was just as tall as the last, though not nearly as long. Cloud scanned around himself as he repositioned his sword carrier onto his back, hissing when it touched his raw skin on his left shoulder. He cursed again as he felt one of the straps snap, the heat of the incendiary rounds having melted and damaged some of the leather.
Cloud then rubbed some of the charred wool from his chest before heading further into the room, picking up his other two swards that he had thrown in when he had fallen through the door, ignoring the bullet that was currently lodged in his left shoulder. Good thing he was right handed. That was when he noticed that there were more of him. Cloud stood still as he analysed the room he was in. The walls surround him were made of mirrors, which was slightly disorientating as he made his way towards one of them. He could see the redness of his skin, which made it sting a little more than it had been. He then looked at his favourite pair of trousers, which were now in tatters and made him look like he had been through a ten year war and back.
And he felt like it too.
And then all hell broke loose.
Cloud found himself being blasted back as three ShinRa machines came crashing through the mirrored walls, the glass shattering and revealing a much wider room.
Cloud ducked and dodged as the machines shot and swung at him, his instincts taking control as he quickly jumped up onto the closest machine, confusing one of the other machines into shooting it to pieces. He quickly escaped the now falling chunk of weaponised metal, and bounced from the floor onto the third machine. Again, the second machine shot the third to pieces, the resounding crunch and clatter almost satisfactory as Cloud made for the second, running round it faster than it could turn. He then stabbed the sword in his right hand into the back of the machine before running up the length of it, resulting in the machine falling into two pieces.
Cloud caught his breath as he made it to the door, hoping and praying that he would finally be coming face to face with Sebastian.
Cloud pushed the door open, sighing as he exited the room onto a long, thick beam. Cloud wobbled into place as he looked down at the dark, annoyed again at the lack of appropriate lighting.
"Wow." Cloud looked around and was met by no one, but Sebastian's voice was definitely audible. "To have come so far. I am impressed. Only my best work can do that. As you may have seen." Cloud growled as he tried to suppress his rage, looking for the source of the voice. "I hope you don't mind. I did of course know you were coming, But I thought I'd get a quick bit of testing done before you got here, you know, clean out the waste? Was a disappointing session to say the least. But anyway, I hope you've enjoyed it. And Cloud?" Cloud then noticed speakers up above him, the voice echoing around him so as to confuse him. "You don't look so good." Cloud heard a muffled click, signifying Sebastian was done taunting him, for now.
...
Kotetsu rubbed her head as she woke, the old sensation of mind control throbbing at the back of her mind.
And then she remembered Cloud saying the words, his pained look of apology her only comfort as she disappeared into a dreamless sleep. Kotetsu rubbed her head as she sat up, her body aching from the lumps and bumps of the bike she had been against. She recollected her thoughts quickly before dashing out from her hiding place, pleased to find that she knew exactly where she was. She loved this building. It had been a sign of freedom on her many excursions into the real world, a checkpoint to success. If she made it this far, the world was her oyster for a night.
Kotetsu scanned her surroundings before heading to the opening of hell, her brain and heart telling her to run and never ever come back.
But she had to help Cloud, had to protect him from what lay beneath.
Kotetsu barged through the front door and down the corridor, the smell of fresh blood not seeming to bother her as she continued through the rooms, her eyes trained to avoid looking at her old fellow colleagues who were often killed in such a way. She reached the stairs quickly, her hands bracing the rickety banister as she searched into the darkness for any signs of Cloud.
She had no idea how long she had been out, the position of the sun not helping with time since the clouds had covered it. She had no idea if Cloud was even alive or if Sebastian had won, and was just waiting of her to walk into his trap.
But she wasn't about to turn back now. What if Cloud needed her?
Kotetsu swallowed her fears as she went into autopilot, passing through the weapons room as she had done many times before. She ducked and dodged the arrows as she ran towards the machines and guns, jumping on top of them before racing down the room, out of the weapons' sights. A couple had been programmed to turn, Sebastian growing wise to Kotetsu's genius, but she easily dodged them, jumping and ducking as appropriate.
Kotetsu burst through the door at the end that led into the fifth room, Cloud's burnt and torn clothes strewn on the floor. Kotetsu didn't panic as she moved on, deciding for now that it was the explosive or incendiary rounds that had done the damage, and the lack of Cloud's dead body was evidence of his aliveness. And of course the broken machines that she was now climbing over to get to the next stage were a welcome indication of Cloud's well being.
Kotetsu reached the thick beam that she knew so well, her ability to run over it still amusing her. She had always loved this test, it of course being the easiest of them all. Even the swinging balls and rounded saw blades didn't faze her as she danced across, as if she had never really left.
Muscle memory continued her on through to the puzzle room, the intricate patterns and many languages on the floor leading to more clues and labyrinths, another easy part of the test. Kotetsu had always been very clever and found a liking to working out puzzles.
It didn't take her long to travel to the other end of the room, a little worried to see blood droplets leading the stumbling way. Though no corpse of her beloved Cloud, which calmed her dramatically. Kotetsu practically kicked the next door in, her body barely noticing the sub zero temperatures that hit her. Icicles hung from the ceiling as the refrigerated room acted as another test on endurance. Illness was something that was practised out of the kids here at a very early age, their bodies being subjected to all kinds of weather to help condition them into untouchable monsters.
Kotetsu didn't even slip on the iced floor as she ran along the path that weaved in and out of piles of frost that acted as snow. She remembered vaguely the days of being left in this room for weeks at a time, her body having to fight off illness and frostbite by finding a way to stay warm. Kotetsu had burrowed into the frost, making a sort of Quincy like shelter, her minder giving her the idea before she went in.
Kotetsu ignored the pang of pain that gripped her heart at the thought of her minder.
Kotetsu pushed the almost frozen door open and jumped into the pool of water in the next room. She expertly avoided the many traps that lay beneath the murky waters, unable to see if Cloud was drowning amidst the ropes and sharp hooks that surrounded her.
Kotetsu assumed that the slightly ajar door and small blood droplet trail meant that Cloud had survived this task also, and sighed as she pushed through to the wind room. This room was again to test the severity of different heat conditions the body could handle, or lack of as this case was, since the wind would hit your cold and wet body and practically freeze you. This room was probably up there as one of the most dangerous, hyperthermia a common killer for those who made it this far. It also tested your strength, the force of the winds too much for some to walk through. Will power was a vital tool in this test, as well as physical strength. Kotetsu braved the winds that came from the wall with the door, her clothes flapping noisily as their wetness added more drag. Kotetsu for the first time found an appreciation for her old rags, the lack of full bodied clothes proving for once to be of benefit. Kotetsu placed her finger tips against the floor, a technique she had adopted over the years to help her body with the push forward. The more streamlined you were, the better.
Kotetsu made it to the door, somewhat pleased to still see the blood trail, the droplets seeming to shrink in size.
Cloud had always said he was a fast healer, but the wounds may have just dried in the wind.
Kotetsu pushed the door open into the hot room, her frustration growing as it seemed to take a life time to get through these useless tests. She didn't even bother shutting the door this time, feeling a sense of rebellion hit her as she dashed through the burning room, careful not to touch anything around her. There were many metallic objects on the floor or hanging from the ceiling, traps to catch you and burn you if you were not paying attention. Kotetsu, like the others, had suffered many burns on her feet due to the lack of shoes, which had made the need for shoes eventually nonexistent. Another strange appreciation that seemed to wash over her as she stuck her hand up the inside of her top and turned the door handle, the burning sensation still there but not quite as damaging as all the other times she did it bare handed.
...
Cloud ran through the millionth door, his rage almost getting the better of him as he nursed his still bleeding shoulder. He had sustained many other wounds, but none of them compared to the stinging his bullet would had. He tried his best to squeeze out the bullet, knowing that if he didn't soon, infection would begin to step in. Cloud scanned his surroundings as he desperately squeezed at the area around the wound, his hissing and cursing echoing softly in the long and winding tunnel. Cloud then began to notice doors on either side, the huge wooden barriers a massive contrast to the shiny and untarnished walls and floors of the testing area.
Was this where they stayed?
Cloud felt a deep darkness unsettle within him as the silence hit him. Not a sound could be heard apart from his own footsteps as he quickly made his way along the seemingly longest corridor in the world. He was sure he had just heard a muffled cough, but then again, he couldn't really be sure it had been so quiet.
Cloud then approached another huge set of doors, also wooden. He stared at them long and hard as he psyched himself for the task ahead, the hours seeming like days in this place.
"You made it." Cloud didn't have the chance to decide when he was ready as the wooden doors opened, the dark room ahead not lending itself to any investigation from the outside. "I am surprised, but really, I expected as much." Cloud stood still as he waited for something to happen, not really planning on walking straight in on a trap. "But you know what is funny." Cloud held his breath as he waited for the probably very unfunny joke. "I'm not home." Cloud felt his heart sink as he looked into the suddenly brightly lit room. "Of course, had you taken the lift to the martial training area then you wouldn't have had to have gone through all of that." If Cloud hadn't been war hardened, he would have probably cried about now. "Mind you, Kotetsu would have probably told you that had you not left her out in the open, unconscious and defenceless." Cloud growled in annoyance as he tightened his grip on his sword hilt. "But it's okay. I've got her here, safe and sound." Cloud tore into the room and spotted the lift almost immediately. He kicked over a chair, and cut the big table in half with the sward in his left hand, the action almost effortless as he slammed the button on the wall. "Oh now, now. There's no need to throw a tantrum. I told you she was safe." Cloud slammed the button again, his impatience making him see red.
A crash came from down the bottom of the hall, Cloud whirling round to see what else had been thrown at him like he were a toy.
"Oh! That will be number thirteen! He's been looking forward to this!" Cloud rolled his eyes as he heard the speakers click off again.
This was a fucking nightmare.
Finally i hear you say? lol I know I know. I'm rubbish. But here's a big long one to make up for it hopefully. Feels like I've been working on this goddam chapter for years! It was so hard to do... but once i got started it just flowed... writing is so frustrating sometimes lol. well anyway! enjoy! and don't hate me? XD
And let me know what you guys think, hope I didn't go too far on the evilness of Sebastian and his lack of care for children.